3 Peaks - Your Challenge Starts here...

The Three Peaks Challenge is an attempt to climb the three highest peaks in the UK in 'one go' within 24 hours.

These peaks are Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. We complete them in that order.

We travel to Fort William on the Friday, starting with Ben Nevis on the Saturday morning, climb Scafell Pike that night and finish Snowdon on Sunday in Wales!

This is a tough event and people participating should have the necessary fitness and also be prepared to do without sleep! We aim to complete the mountains in a time of 12.5 hours - Ben Nevis in 5 hours, Scafell Pike in 4 hours and Snowdon in 3.5 hours, however this will depend upon the speed of the group. The overall trip takes longer than 12.5 hours as you need to transfer by road to each mountain along the way.

The course is guided by qualified mountain leaders and our driver will be with you all of the way!

If you want to do this challenge but benefit from sleep in between we offer this event over more relaxed timescales. For further details see our 3 Day 3 Peaks and 5 Day 3 Peaks Trips.

 

• Guiding on all 3 Peaks by experienced guides.
• 42km total horizontal distance, 3000 vertical metres, 3 Peaks.
• This trip is best run between May and October. Outside of those dates we consider it winter conditions. However, if you want to experience it then - just ask!
• Pick ups and drop offs along the route to provide you with several different options - just choose the most convenient for you. See our transport explained section for further details.
• Expert driving team with dozens of 3 Peaks trips experience. Please note that for safety reasons we  adhere to all road traffic safety regulations.
  
• Set open dates for individuals to join or bespoke events for group sizes of 8 or more - just ask if the date you want is not listed.
• Many years experience in providing this challenge.
• We aim to complete the challenge within 24 hours; some groups will take less time, others more - the fitter your entire group is, the more likely you will be able to fulfill the challenge!
  
• You need to be pretty fit.

Think you are up to the challenge....

Join us and find out!

We normally run this trip over a weekend, Friday to Sunday, however if you would like to do this at any other time, including midweek, then please contact us.

A typical itinerary looks like this:

Day	Activity
Friday	Meet up along the route and transfer to Fort William. Meet up locations will be finalised shortly before departure. Evening equipment check and briefing. Relaxing evening meal in preparation for the following days.
Saturday	Breakfast then depart for Ben Nevis at approximately 8.00am. Ben Nevis should be a round trip of around 5hrs. Afternoon transfer to the Lake District and evening ascent of Scafell Pike. This should be a 4hr round trip.
Sunday	Night time transfer to Snowdon and early morning ascent. This is a round trip of approximately 3hrs. Drop offs along the return route to Manchester.

Please note: This itinerary is a guide only. It can be subject to change dependent upon viability, course members' fitness, weather conditions or for any other reason

During each road based Three Peaks event our transport vehicle does a round trip from Manchester. This means we offer pick up points for you at the following locations:

• Anywhere on the M6, M74 and A82 between Manchester and Fort William
  
• Manchester Piccadilly Station (approx. 10am)
  
• Glasgow International airport (not Prestwick, approx. 3pm)
  

If you are based in the South of the UK we recommend you fly to Glasgow International Airport and then catch the return train from Manchester. This saves you a lot of time in the vehicle.

Drop off points are:

• Anywhere on the A55 and M56 between Snowdonia and Manchester
  
• Manchester Airport
  
• Manchester Piccadilly Station
  

Alternative pick up and drop off points can be discussed upon request.

Pick up times are the day before the event and drop off is during the afternoon of the event finish. We aim to finish in Snowdon by mid afternoon on the last day of each event, and therefore your drop off should be no later than 7/8pm on the Sunday evening. However, there are no guarantees as it depends on the speed of your group.

If you are making your own way to Fort William for the start of your challenge you should arrive the Friday afternoon/evening in time for the evening briefing and to be ready for the start of the challenge the next day.

To do this trip you need to have a good level of fitness. This is a tough challenge and even though no previous mountaineering experience is required you will have to climb the three largest peaks in the UK without the aid of sleep!

We recommend that you follow a fitness plan in preparation for your challenge, an example of one will be sent to you when you have confirmed your booking.

Although the fitness plan we will send to you has been devised by a fitness professional, this is only provided as a guide and you should seek professional advice before starting your own fitness regime.

Weather conditions permit us to run this course anytime from May to October. Please enquire should you want to do a winter version (Jan - Mar).

Any number (one upwards) can join an open trip, or for 8 or more booking we will run a bespoke trip on dates of your request.

2010 dates so far are:

6-8 May	Last few spaces	Book now
7-9 May	Exclusive Event
14-16 May	Last few spaces	Book now
28-30 May	Good availability	Book now
4-6 June	Asthma UK exclusive event
11-13 June	No spaces available	FULL
18-20 June	Good availability	Book now
18-20 June	Exclusive Event
25-27 June	No spaces available	FULL
25-27 June	Exclusive Event
9-11 July	No spaces available	FULL
23-25 July	Sue Ryder Care exclusive event
13-15 August	Good availability	Book now
27-29 August	Last few spaces	Book now
3-5 September	Beating Bowel Cancer exclusive event
10-12 September	Last few spaces	Book now
10-12 September	Exclusive Event
24-26 September	Good availability	Book now
8-10 October	Good availability	Book now

Availability last updated 10 March 2010.

If the date you want is fully booked or not listed please contact us by clicking on the link below - we may still be able to help!

We have availability throughout the year for bespoke trips. Please ask.

For 1- 5 people on a trip we will advertise the trip here and upon meeting minimum numbers confirm the trip.

For 6-7 people on a trip we will advertise the trip here as a confirmed trip and reserve the right to add additional people on to it.

For 8+ people on a trip we will run an exclusive trip.

All requested dates are unconfirmed until minimum numbers have been booked.

Create Your Own Trip Dates

• Professional event organisation.
  
• Qualified mountain leaders.
  
• Transport between Manchester and Ben Nevis with pick ups en route.
  
• Transport between the 3 Peaks.
  
• Drop offs between Snowdon and Manchester after the challenge has finished.
  
• One nights twin room accommodation with breakfast. Single rooms are available at a supplement.
  
• Packed lunches for each peak.
  
• Group first aid kit with qualified first aiders.
  
• Completion certificate to prove you did it!

2010  prices

Group Size	Non-exlusive trip	Exclusive trip
1-3 people	£399pp
4-5 people	£389pp
6-7 people	£379pp
8 people		£399pp
9 people		£389pp
10+ people		£379pp

These prices only apply to people booking as a group.

From 15th March 2010 there will be a price increase for the 3 Peaks Challenge. The price will increase by £50 per person to accommodate rising costs, mainly diesel.

All bookings before this date, with deposits paid, will be at the above prices - book now to beat the increase!

We know you have a choice of companies to do a 3 Peaks with. Here are some of the reasons you should choose to travel with Maximum Adventure:

• Many years experience in providing mountain marathon events.
• UK registered business with full liability and insurance cover.
• Financially protected in accordance with the 1992 Package Travel Regulation (be sure your prepayments are protected!)
• Work to industry best practice ratios on the mountain.
• Thousands of satisfied clients.
• We use hotel accommodation before your challenge instead of hostels.
• 3 separate drivers on a 3 Peaks Challenge (this is needed to comply with driving hour regulations).
• Provider of events for major national companies and charities.
• Friendly office staffed during working hours.
• Our ethos is to provide you with a great event...

Over the years concerns have been raised about the impact the 3 Peaks Challenge has on the environment and the local residents surrounding these peaks. The main concerns raised is an increase in traffic and noise in rural areas at unsociable hours, litter, erosion of the peaks through people taking short cuts and in particular the lack of water and toilet facilities at Wasdale Head.

At Maximum Adventure our ethos is to always respect the areas we work in. The company was set up by people who enjoy the mountains and respect the impact people climbing them have on the environment and local residents. When running our 3 Peak Challenges we adhere to the fundraising guidelines which were produced by the Institute of Fundraisers in line with the various authorities for the 3 Peaks.

We run small groups of between 10-12 people with experienced drivers and mountain leaders with them ensuring best behaviour on the mountain and not impacting on rescue services. In fact, on several occasions, our mountain leaders have acted as ‘rescuers' by leading lost groups we found on the hill off the mountain!

We always stick to the official paths on the mountains so as not to cause any environmental damage to the mountains, and we contribute to the maintenance of these paths. We make donations to the Highland council for the upkeep of the paths throughout the year.

In the cases where we operate larger groups we seek prior approval from the various mountain authorities. We have worked closely with these authorities over the years and have a very good working relationship with them. We also manage groups access to the peaks to reduce the amount of people coming into and out of an area at any one time.

We aim to climb Scafell Pike before the midnight cut off time, thereby reducing the impact our arrival and departure has on local residents. We always have our own water supplies so we do not use local supplies and do all that we can to ensure our clients have access to appropriate toilet facilities outside of the area. Our drivers remain with the minibuses and ensure there is no excessive noise or illegal parking.

We take the safety of our participants very seriously, and stick to driving regulations with separate non-walking drivers, making sure sufficient breaks are taken.

We believe we are one of the most responsible operators on the hill and continually endeavour to improve our services whilst protecting the beautiful environment we operate in and ask that all of our clients respect our working code when travelling with us.

Sue Etheridge

Having returned from the trip yesterday, I am now about able to hobble over to the computer, albeit with very stiff legs!

Please pass on my appreciation and thanks to all involved with this weeks trip, which was thoroughly enjoyable. It was extremely well organised by your team and I would recommend it to anyone who loves the mountains and fancies a challenge. Please pass on my particular thanks to Carl, champion mini bus driver; Kate, 'going on 21' our stunning mountain guide, and Martin, whose enthusiasm up and down Snowdon was infectious and his sprinting ability in the last 1/2 mile meant we kept inside the 24 hour deadline!

The organisation was faultless and I will certainly recommend you to any friends who may be interested in a challenge.

David Jinks

A very belated note to thank you for organising an excellent trip last week for us. The organisation was fantastic and worked extremely well right from the word go when we were picked up from Glasgow.

The hotel on the first night was excellent and I thought Kate did a superb job guiding us on the first 2 hills. We could not have asked for a better guide.

Again Carl's enthusiasm, excellent driving and support was most appreciated and he did wonders catching up a little of the time we lost round Glasgow.

Following our arrival in Snowdonia it was great to have Martin chivvy us on and again was a fantastic guide with lots of facts and figures to baffle the boys with.

All in all it was great trip and we were so pleased to do it within the 24 Hours. We have now raised about £5000 for Macmillan which again is another great achievement. Once again many thanks for all your hard work which made the trip so enjoyable.

I look forward to doing another trip with you soon.

Claire Linfoot McLean

I would like to thank you and Mike for a brilliantly organised Three Peaks trip this last weekend. It was absolutely fantastic. Our guides did a fabulous job - and, my goodness they had their work cut out with us - I am sure they have never had a group who were (a) as slow and (b) had to go to the loo so often! Please say a big thank you from me to Jere, Mark, Kem and Sylvie. In particular please pass on my thanks again to our driver Carl - he was truly brilliant and went well beyond what could be expected in looking after us.

I'm thinking about Kilimanjaro next - but may need to get a bit fitter!!